It was a hot day in the quarry, and the multitudes slumped over their "Vote Jerry Brown" signs. It wasn't only the heat - at least a dozen student speakers had droned the same message, in the same monotone, and the crowd had ceased reacting. Something about education fees, fascist regents, and the dead multiculturalism. The press was lined up in the shade, looking haggard as usual, and the SUA organizers whined because Jerry was late.According to Brown's press secretary, Maxter's was a much better press opportunity, and Brown was taking advantage of it at our expense. But we are forgiving in the land of pot and sunshine, and we waited.
At the entrance to the quarry, someone with the Agran campaign protested Brown's arrival. He'd been standing there for over an hour, gagged with a silk tie, and the saliva was oozing down his chin. Evidently, Larry Agran had asked to speak in the quarry but was, for some reason, excluded.
He should have been used to it by this point, Agran is welcome nowhere in the political arena. Everywhere he goes, he makes an ass of himself, standing up in the audience and screaming until he's forcibly removed. It's as much a platform as it is a curse, but it doesn't work out very well - his showing in the polls is usually smaller than the margin of error.
The people in the quarry didn't give a rat's ass for the plight of Larry Agran. They were here to see Jerry Brown. And although he could only make it for 20 minutes, the crowd went wild when he arrived. His entourage consisted of a grey-haired press secretary clad in blue-jeans, and a wealthy businessman type in pinstripes. They drove up in an armored vehicle, a Bronco decked out with heavily-tinted bulletproof glass, swivel-chairs and carpet, not to mention the plethora of high-tech campaign gear every presidential hopeful lugs around.
But along with the red carpets and the student-UC police security force (Brown refuses the indulgence of Secret Service, yet still sends his security bills to the taxpayers,) came the darker side of power. The Brown campaign knew it could manipulate the politically naive SUA and get away with it, and Jerry Brown knew he could break the rules without facing repercussions.
- "Jerry Brown is an egomaniac," he said, the spit- soaked tie flopping around his neck now, "Nay megalomaniac, and the man has no interest in inclusionary debate."
Brown engaged in two separate sleazy acts in order to make his appearance here more favorable to his interests. First, he made sure Larry Agran, another Democratic presidential candidate, wouldn't be there. Then he talked about his campaign, a violation of an agreement he made with the campus.
As an arm of the University of California, the Student Union Assembly (that's your student government) is constitutionally bound to remain nonpartisan. No official endorsements or rallies can be SUA-sponsored.
This precarious position was threatened the moment the Brown campaign contacted Brant Smith, SUA chair. According to Smith, they approached the SUA with the idea of Brown speaking on campus. In order to make the event legitimate, the SUA had to put a nonpartisan spin on it.
They couldn't turn down an opportunity like Brown. He was a sure draw for both students and the press, and it was a great opportunity to get student issues out into the mainstream media. So they decided to bill it as a rally for education and rounded up a bunch of speakers. Smith told the Brown campaign on a number of occasions that the topic of the event was education, and that partisan issues, like references to his campaign, must be excluded.
He also sent them a fax explaining some of the issues the students wanted addressed, along with yet another reminder that Brown couldn't mention his campaign. According to Smith, the Brown Campaign acknowledged the fax, and said that Brown was aware of University nonpartisanship issues, having spoken at a number of public universities previously.
But things didn't work out as planned. On the day of the rally, one of Brown's representatives was allowed to speak as "filler," because Brown was late. He mentioned the campaign, asked for donations, and gave out the infamous 800 number.
And then Brown arrived. With nothing more than a couple casual mentions of education, he proceeded to launch a campaign speech. He started out with inspiring words, "They kill so many dolphins, and I said, 'That's not right, under the General Agreement of Trade and Tariffs,' which is an agreement." But he quickly stooped to begging for donations and talking about his campaign.
This violation of the rules sparked a colorful and heated discussion in the parking lot after the rally. The Brown campaign cronies had sealed themselves in their cars, seeking refuge in silence, and indicated refusal to comment by raising their power windows in my face. But things weren't so quiet outside.
The Agran supporter was accusing Greg Dewar, one of the organizers, of complacency in the face of Brown's transgressions. He attacked with, "You said you'd personally rip the microphone out of Brown's hand if he did this," (an allegation Smith says Dewar has denied.) Dewar further countered with, "There was something in the back I had to take care of. I can't be everywhere at once."
He was obviously on the verge of a breakdown, like everybody else here. He continued with something like, "You give me the responsibilities of a god, but you don't give me the powers of a god. I'm only a human being, and I can't handle his. I've got to go now, you know where to reach me."
Dewar couldn't be reached for comment, but Brant Smith said of the incident, "Greg sometimes doesn't tolerate pressure as well as he should, but I can understand where he's coming from."
After Dewar left, the Agran dude went off on me, threatening lawsuits against the SUA, and launching misguided insults at Jerry Brown. "Jerry Brown is an egomaniac," he said, the spit- soaked tie flopping around his neck now, "Nay megalomaniac, and the man has no interest in inclusionary debate." Strange, I thought, that this man would be talking about inclusionary debate at a time like this. Debates are Agran's pet peeve, because he's never allowed to go; but this wasn't a debate. Nevertheless, behind the party line lurked the sordid truth.
- "If you want to get technical," Smith said after much hedging, "It appears that we did the wrong thing, but I prefer not to get so technical. Sure, it's a little fuzzy, but what isn't, hell."
According to Brant Smith, a couple of Agran's supporters approached the SUA during the planning stages of the event. Agran was due on campus that day, and they asked if he could speak at the rally. Smith liked the idea, and gave them permission to call Brown's campaign headquarters which, according to Smith, "gave Agran the thumbs up."
But a few days later, things had turned sour. The local chapter of the Brown campaign wasn't happy when they found out about Agran, and they weren't shy about letting Smith know. "They were totally pissed off, and they threatened to pull out," he said, "They went absolutely crazy, and I decided my only choice was to ask Agran not to speak."
Of course that wasn't the end of it. "And that's when the Agran people got pissed off," he continued, "First, they got the thumbs up, but now they felt like they got a different finger." And they were right, because the SUA had bent to the pressure of the Brown campaign, and was now participating in his dirty political plotting.
After the event, one of Agran's organizers said, "The University of California and the SUA as an adjunct to the UC are bound to be nonpartisan in a political race. Which means that anything resembling a political rally featuring only one candidate is a violation of that charter. Brown's talking today about his campaign was a violation of any promise that they gave to us, and the stipulation they told me very clearly, 'If Agran shows up, Brown's not showing up.' That was it, no explanation given."
According to Smith, Susie Hickock of Student Organization Advising and Resources (SOAR,) had made the official call. The SUA was safe as far as Brown's unauthorized campaigning went, because they had made a concerted effort to "control the environment," by giving numerous warnings. But she also told Smith that if any other political figures wanted to come, they were obligated to sponsor them. "If you want to get technical," Smith said after much hedging, "It appears that we did the wrong thing, but I prefer not to get so technical. Sure, it's a little fuzzy, but what isn't, hell."
Let's face reality. This farce is based on nothing but Jerry Brown's ego. He stands no chance of winning the election, so what would it hurt him to let Agran come? How much more devastated would his campaign have been if he'd spoken about education, as he'd agreed to? And Larry Agran has nothing better to do than flaunt his incredibly low status by getting himself kicked out of some trivial UCSC political event and making some noise.
The sad truth is that UCSC can't get real presidential candidates to speak, so we have to settle for the dregs of society, coming up to our City on a Hill with all their petty infighting. Both Brown and Agran have no chance of winning, yet they travel around the country, bickering for the hell of it, so emotionally scarred by their campaigns that they can't face the grim reality - they've already lost.